Myle's POV
Zack Zeyern— the name carved in this grave.
We knelt in front of him. Our chest felt heavy and Kyou... seemed to be out of breath already. His swollen eyes gazed at me. As I watched him like this, I immediately had the urge to hug him.
"Why..?" he kept asking himself.
I continued patting his back, letting him cry out. It's painful to admit but... at the moment, it was the only thing that I could do for him...
Seeing how his mother survived for the past years, we clung to the hope that his father also did. Even though I don't have mindreading abilities, I could tell how hard it was for Kyou...
"My mom, she couldn't remember me... And now, my dad... I couldn't even see his face for the last time..." He tightened his hug. "Miss Arjera... What should I do..?"
"Life... really is cruel sometimes." I brushed his hair as I spoke. "Just with a short period of happiness, a problem would come next. Still, we have to move forward. Let's do what we think will make Mr. Zeyern happy..."
"Miss Arjera..."
Suddenly, the footsteps crunching the leaves caught our attention.
As we turned around, a man spoke.
"Ah? Are you perhaps... Zack's kids?"
I and Kyou glanced at each other with confusion.
"May I ask who you are?" Kyou stepped forward, stretching his left hand to block me. He was like... protecting me.
"Oh, sorry for the late introduction. I'm Zack Zeyern's manager, Claude Magus."
He gave us his business card. It's hard to trust people these days but... it seemed like he knew many things about Kyou's father.
"Kyou..."
"Miss Arjera, let's hear him out."
"... All right."
Mr. Claude sighed with relief. "I thank thee."
For a second, I went silent and blinked. There were millions of happenings that I didn't even notice it.
So I asked,
"Mr. Claude Magus... Perhaps, you have twin children?"
"Oh? Yeah, I have Eris and Claus! Do you know them?"
That's exactly their names! From the moment he said 'thee', he already reminded me of Claus.
"We're friends..."
"Woah! What a small world!"
"I-Indeed..."
He might be trusted then... Wondering if Kyou believes so too, I glanced at him. He gave me a gentle smile... then nodded.
"I'm Kyou Zeyern, his son, and this is my girlfriend, Myle Arjera. Mr. Claude, please tell me more about my dad."
We walked around, looking for a place to sit. A tree nearby had a shade which was the right area to have a conversation. The three of us sat down.
"Zack— he's an actor. Are you aware, Mr. Kyou?"
"N-no..."
"When he went to our agency for an audition, his acting skills were natural. He caught my eye so I requested to be his manager."
Whoa... That makes sense why Zou and Kyou were so good at acting. They got it from their father.
"For some reason, he stared at me intensely, making me uncomfortable."
"Was he wearing eyeglasses?" Kyou asked.
"Nope. He never wore one that day." His ability was already controlled then. "Zack said that he could read my thoughts."
"T-That early?!" I yelled and instantly covered my mouth. "I apologize. He just reminds me of someone... Telling his secret so early..." I glanced at Kyou then he smiled.
"Oh! It's because he saw my future. So, he trusted me."
"Future?!"
"Ah, he never told anyone except me... only because he said that I should visit his grave on this day to meet his children. So I thought Ms. Myle was also his daughter. It seems like he treated you already as his daughter-in-law." He chuckled.
"That's true..." Kyou reacted.
"Oh, well. Can you see the future too, Mr. Kyou?"
"Hm... My dad's probably a special one."
"I see, I see."
"I've heard it before. Each mindreader has a unique ability. I haven't awakened yet."
"Awakening..." Mr. Claude was suddenly in deep thoughts until he opened his mouth. "AH! Your dad told me to tell you that he controlled his ability because of your mother."
"... Pardon?"
"If you achieved that, you might awaken."
"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that..."
"Your dad said—" He halted when we heard a vibration. "Please excuse me."
He picked up a call.
"Hello? ... 'Tis my day off! ... No, no, no. I'm busy right now! ... My goodness. All right, all right. Wait for me there."
The call was ended.
"It seems like... we'll continue this some other time. I apologize... See you when I see you, Ms. Myle, Mr. Kyou!"
Left under the tree, I and Kyou stayed for a while to feel the breeze. Since different events came one after another, fresh air like this was what we needed.
"Miss Arjera... Let's visit Mom again."
Kyou had the expression he wore earlier... I wanted him to rest even just for today but I had no choice but to nod. He finally met his mother after all these years so I should continue to support him.
When we arrived at Mrs. Zeyern's hospital room, she was asleep again. So I suggested, "shall we rest at the park nearby?"
He nodded. "We might wake Mom. Let's go..."
His energy seemed drained... His eyes were about to close and his body was swaying. I pulled his head for it to lean on my shoulder. After a few seconds, he shut his eyes, falling asleep.
"Please rest well..." I placed my lips on the top of his head.
"Miss Arjera, please buy me a bottle of water..." H-He's still awake.
I don't want to leave him alone at this moment but... he's thirsty.
"It's alright... I will stay here."
If only for a minute then...
"... I'll be back right away!" I ran as soon as I said that.
Reaching the cafeteria, there were no people in line so I bought the water bottle much earlier.
My palms were wet from the moisture of the bottle... It's cold... Even tears were already on my hands... with Kyou on my mind...
I wanted him to smile... Not a cold one, not the forced one... I wanted the usual irritating, gentle, and smile that almost looked like a laugh...
In the end, I couldn't do anything other than buy him a bottle of water...
"Miss Arjera, your eyes..."
"Oh, a-a dust! It entered my eye. Ahahah... So I rubbed it too much."
"..."
"Drink your water first. I need to go to the restroom. I'll return!"
"M-Miss Arjera..!"
He could see through my lies but I was about to do something more important so I'll make it up to him later.
Instead of going to the restroom, I pulled the sliding door without knocking. My emotions were getting ahead of me.
"Mom!"
"M-Mom..?" She's awake this time.
"It might be too impudent of me but you're my future mother-in-law... so please let me call you 'Mom."
"... I thought you're Kyou's..?"
I nodded. "Kyou and I were dating with marriage in mind, to live together forever." I kind of borrowed Kyou's line before.
Mrs. Zeyern was dazed. Well, I was too sudden too so... Ugh... I don't know anymore!
"I might have shocked you, Mrs. Zeyern... I apologize..."
It's been a while since I did something selfish... I also need to apologize to Kyou.
"No, Ms. Myle..." Tears... were flowing down her cheeks. "Thanks for making me remember... How could I forget my own son? He must be having a hard time right now..."
"It was neither your nor Kyou's fault."
"Can I... see my son?"
I smiled. "Of course."
I called the nurse to ask for permission. Thankfully, we were allowed to go outside even though the sky was already dark so I assisted Mrs. Zeyern.
"Kyou, sorry for being late."
"Ah, it's fine, Miss Ar--" He paused the moment he sighted his mother beside me. Mrs. Zeyern stretched her arms to hug Kyou...
The warmth of a mother that he didn't experience in the past years was felt again...
"My son... please forgive me... I should've hugged you tightly the moment I saw you..."
Kyou shook his head.
"I'm glad that your memories have returned, Mom... Thank you, Miss Arjera..."
Ah... His usual smile had come back... I can't help but cry out of joy...
"I'm sorry, Kyou, for revealing it to Mrs. Zeyern without your permission."
"It's fine... I trust you, Miss Arjera..."
As the mother and son were hugging, Kyou's eyeglasses slipped off. However, rather than the cracked lenses, Kyou's eyes were directed at me.
"I couldn't read your thoughts, Miss Arjera... But I could if I wanted to..."
"Eh..?"
"Your trust in Ms. Myle has deepened after she helped you come back to normal. Because of that, you were able to control your ability just like what happened to Zack."
So that's what Mr. Claude meant about Mr. Zack awakening because of Mrs. Zeyern...
"I think... I should go back to my room now. Thanks, Ms. Myle and Kyou."
We brought her back to the room. When she fell asleep, I closed the door gently so that it won't make any sounds. Kyou and I headed to the rooftop afterward.
"Do you still think... there's nothing unique in the night sky?" he asked.
I shrugged. "Not sure. I haven't sightsee for a while."
"Ahahah! Seeing how things came one after another, we don't have that much time, right?"
"Yeah! Ahahah!"
I missed this... Laughing together...
Come to think of it, my first meeting with Kyou was at night-- JS Prom. When we met again, in front of our house, I was sightseeing in the night sky again.
"Everything will end now... beneath the night sky again, Kyou."
"Hm... What do you mean by 'end'? We're just getting started."
... He's right. Our problems might have ended but our story will continue. Especially now that Kyou and her mother have reunited. It's the beginning of a new chapter for us.
"Kyou, close your eyes."
He tilted his head for a second but did it anyway.
"Are you gonna kiss me, Miss Arjera?"
"Yeah," I answered and gave him one. It was quite long too.
Our lips parted and Kyou had opened his eyes.
"We're not done yet. Open your mouth."
"... Pardon?"
My mouth was slightly open when I spoke so that's when Kyou kissed me again. It felt... different from the last time...
The bright moon and stars seemed to be watching us. Every time they appear, different things happen. I won't say that it's an unusual night anymore.
I just knew that our story will always be starting from the sight and the night...